Timeline

1888: Bishop James O'Connor, of the Omaha Diocese, dreams of a mission to serve the Winnebago people. He is the spiritual advisor of Katharine Drexel who also shares in that dream. She will go on to enter religious life, establish the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and dedicate herself to serving Native children and other people.

1890: Bishop O'Connor dies, never realizing his vision for the Winnebago people.

1891: The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament Order is founded by Katharine Drexel to serve Native and other minority people.

1907: The town of Winnebago, Nebraska, is platted; a railroad line through the reservation is completed.

1908: Bishop O'Connor's dream is revived by a group of Winnebago and Omaha Catholic elders who ask Harry Keefe, a Walthill, Nebraska attorney, to write a letter seeking support for a school at Winnebago. The elders include Joseph LaMere and possibly Prosper Armell.

1908: Father John Griese, a German missionary, arrives at Winnebago and attempts to secure abandoned government buildings for a school but is unsuccessful. Father Griese continues serving on the reservation for next thirty-seven years.

1908: Joseph LaMere successfully negotiates with the Winnebago Town Company for 15 acres of land at the north end of community. It will be the site of a Mission and School.

1909: Mother Katharine Drexel arrives at Winnebago on March 13 for the first of three visits that year. She and her Sisters will finance and oversee planning and construction of the Mission and School.

1909: Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament arrive at Winnebago in the fall to staff the mission and school. Mother Katharine visits the homes of every Native family in the community.

1909: St. Augustine Indian Mission School welcomes its first students on November 8.

1909: St. Augustine Church and School are dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, November 25. The Mission is named for St. Augustine of Hippo at the request of Mr. Tack, a benefactor associated with the Marquette League of New York City.

1910: St. Augustine's boarding facility opens for girls of the Winnebago and Omaha Reservations. The large wooden structure provides housing for girls during the next 40 years. Boys are enrolled as day students until a boarding facility opens for them years later.

1911: The first commencement is held on June 8. Students Grace LaMere, Marie Linkswiler and John Goergon earn the highest examination scores in Thurston County.

1911: Annual plays, involving students, parents and community members, are established as a popular part of the St. Augustine school year.

1914-1918: World War I increases demand for agricultural production on the Winnebago Reservation.

1920: Father Griese works to secure additional land for agricultural use with the goal of providing food and possibly revenue for the Mission. He plants thousands of fruit trees and field crops.

1929: The Great Depression combines with drought to begin a period of extreme hardship. Father Griese's agricultural skills and dedication fight hunger. He is credited with literally feeding the people.

1942: Father Frank Hulsman is named Director of the Mission. Father Griese continues as Pastor and spiritual leader. Father Hulsman assumes the burden of raising funds to meet the needs of the Mission in the changing world.

1944: The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament are unable to continue to finance the School's operation. They sell the Missionproperty to the Archdiocese of Omaha and place their Sisters closer to the Order's headquarters in the east.

1945: Father Griese dies on April 14. His body lies in state for three days and nights at St. Augustine. The epitaph, "He fed thepeople," speaks to his legacy of love and service.

1945: Father Hulsman is named Pastor of the Mission. He leads St. Augustine into an era of growth, going nationwide with itsstory.

1945: The Missionary Benedictine Sisters begin serving at the Mission where they remain today.

1946: The Notre Dame Sisters of Covington, Kentucky, arrive to help staff the Mission. They will remain until May 1954.

1955: Mother Katharine Drexel, foundress of St. AugustineIndian Mission dies on March 3.

1950s and 1960s: Under Father Hulsman, a new complex of buildings north of the original Mission site is planned, financed and opened.

1982: The boarding facility of St. Augustine Indian Mission is no longer practical to operate. The Mission focuses on the day school.

1985: Monsignor Frank Hulsman retires after 43 years of service to St. Augustine Indian Mission.

1985: Father Francis Price is named Director. Under his leadership, a kindergarten is added to the School.

1988: Mother Katharine Drexel is beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 20. The foundress of St. Augustine Indian Mission is now Blessed Katharine Drexel.

1988: Father Richard Whiteing is named Director. He initiates integration of Native American cultural elements into the curriculum and liturgy with an emphasis on strengthening families and relationships within children's lives.

1992: Father Tom Bauwens becomes the new Director and builds on Father Whiteing's cultural work. He establishes an endowment to ensure St. Augustine's future

1993: The Kateri Warrior Drum Group forms to teach students traditional ways of singing and dancing around the big drum. Named in honor of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, the group begins performing nationally and internationally. Members pledge to be free from drugs, alcohol and non-sacred tobacco use, and to respect their elders.

1994: The buildings on the north end of campus, which housed the boarding students, are sold to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska which utilizes them for social services.

1997: Father Steven Boes is named Director. He and the St. Augustine Advisory Board launch a capital campaign to renovate the School. The project will create enough additional space to double the number of students the School can serve.

1998: Father Tom Gall becomes Associate Director of the Mission and oversees the School renovation. He also begins serving as Pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Walthill and Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Macy, Nebraska.

2000: St. Augustine hosts the National Kateri Conference.

2000: Pope John Paul II canonizes Blessed Katharine Drexel, foundress of St. Augustine. She is now St. Katharine Drexel. St. Augustine representatives attend the solemn ceremony. The Kateri Warriors perform during a Mass of thanksgiving at the Church of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls in Rome.

2001: Don Blackbird, Jr., a member of the Omaha Tribe, becomes the first Native American faculty member.

2003: Father Dave Korth succeeds Father Tom Gall as Associate Director of St. Augustine Indian Mission. Father Dave also becomes Pastor of three reservation parishes.

2004: Father Dave also takes over parish responsibilities for St. Cornelius Parish in Homer.

2004: Fr. Dave breaks ground and oversees the construction of a building in Macy for the Our Lady of Fatima Parish, on the Omaha Reservation.

2005: Father Steve Boes is named Director of Boys Town in Omaha. Father Dave becomes the seventh Director of St. Augustine Indian Mission, while remaining as Pastor of the four parishes.

2005: Father Pat McLaughlin joins the Mission as Associate Director and Associate Pastor. He implements programs to strengthen religious education and welcome community members back to the church.

2005: Archbishop Eldon Curtiss blesses and dedicates the Our Lady of Fatima Worship Center in Macy on October 30, the first building of its kind for the parish.

2005: St. Augustine Mission calendar wins first of several state, regional, and national awards with the photography of Fr. Don Doll, SJ and design work of Mr. Pat Osborne.

2005: The Mission installs high speed internet to go along with the donation of new IBM computers, ushering us into the 21st century.

2006: Lisa Casey becomes the first Winnebago Tribal member to join the St. Augustine School faculty.

2007: Don Blackbird, Jr., becomes the first Native American administrator of St. Augustine School.

2007: Father Mike Eckley becomes new Pastor of the four parish communities, along with being the Associate Director of the Mission. He is a highly sought after retreat director and known for his excellent preaching.

2007: Dr. Jan Stalling joins the St. Augustine staff as the first full-time school counselor.

2009: St. Augustine celebrates 100 years of service

Mission Links

Archdiocese of Omaha

The Archdiocese of Omaha is where the faithful live both in the ancient tradition of Roman Catholicism and the young, unique heritage of northeastern Nebraska. The archdiocese's vibrancy is rooted in diverse ethnic and cultural heritages extending from farms and ranches to towns and city centers. The Archdiocese of Omaha originally covered all of Nebraska and Wyoming. Today, its territory includes 23 northeast Nebraska counties and an area of 14,051 square miles. The general population of the 23 counties is approximately 889,000 and the Catholic population is about 220,000 people. Service agencies, including Catholic Charities, have made the Archdiocese one of the largest private social service providers in the region. Every year, thousands of people receive counseling, shelter, adoption assistance, health care, immigration, and a host of other services through the care of archdiocesan staff and volunteers. Ethnic services in a very culturally mixed environment are offered to different groups. Through him the Archdiocese is joined with the pope as universal pastor and with all the bishops of the Church, committed to a life of faith and love and service, to continue Jesus' mission in the world.

Missionary Benedictine Sisters

The Missionary Benedictine Sisters are an international congregation of the Roman Catholic Church serving in 19 countries throughout the world. The fundamental characteristic of our way of life is seeking God in community. Our common life finds expression in praying and working together, in sharing our goods, both material and spiritual, and in mutual service, support and encouragement.

The Catholic Voice

The mission of The Catholic Voice, as the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Omaha, is to assist the archbishop by communication, education and evangelization to create an environment in which the Gospel message can be heard, pondered and extended to others. Its mission is to foster Gospel values in our society, to promote the dignity of the human person, the importance of the family and the common good of our society so that all may continue to be transformed by the saving power of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Voice was established July 17, 1903, and published under the title of The True Voice 1903-1973. It is published twice monthly September through May and once each month in June, July and August – 21 issues a year and circulated to 48,000 people.

The Vatican

St. Vincent DePaul Parish

Catholic World News

The mission of CatholicCulture.org is to give faithful Catholics the information, encouragement, and perspective they need to become an active force for renewal in the Church and in society, working to shape an authentically Christian culture in a secular world.

Catholic Online

Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska

The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, as a sovereign Nation, is committed pursuant to its Constitution, to maintain, improve and protect the Tribe; To preserve its resources and cultural heritage; To create opportunities for its members to thrive and become economically and socially self-sufficient as individuals, families and as a tribal government; and, thereby, promote the harmony of traditional values, beliefs which will ensure a positive course of action for future generations.

Omaha Tribe of Nebraska

Little Priest Tribal College

LPTC is a chartered entity of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and one of thirty-two Tribal Colleges in the United States. Our mission and philosophy, like that of most Tribal Colleges, mandates that we integrate the culture of native people, specifically the Winnebago people, into our courses and programs. This unique and challenging approach to higher education will enrich your academic, social and personal life in a way that no other college or university can. It is with a deep sense of responsibility and pride that LPTC staff and faculty strive to meet this mandate as well as the dying words of Chief Little Priest in to "be strong, and educate my children."

Winnebago Public Schools

Omaha Nation Public School

Walthill Schools

All Native

Ho-Chunk, Inc.

Ho-Chunk, Inc. is the award-winning economic development corporation owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Established in 1994 in Winnebago, Nebraska with one employee, Ho-Chunk, Inc. has grown to over 1,400 employees with operations in 10 states and 4 foreign countries. Ho-Chunk, Inc. operates 24 subsidiaries in a diverse range of industries including information technology, construction, government contracting, professional services, wholesale distribution, office products and technology, logistics, marketing, media and retail.

Popular Links

Parent Links

About

St. Augustine Indian Mission School is a member of the American Indian Catholic Schools Network and partner of the University of Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education. Our school provides a challenging, faith-filled, educational experience that serves as the foundation for a life lived in service to Jesus, the Church and Community.